Toronto, Ontario, May 27, 2016 - The Toronto Dispensary Coalition today announced that Toronto police raided numerous medical cannabis dispensaries throughout the city yesterday. Staff at many of the dispensaries were arrested and charged by police with alleged trafficking offences. There are reports that hundreds of police officers, who normally work in other areas, including human trafficking investigations, were pulled off their important work to participate in the raids. Many dispensary staff who were charged by police are known to have good hearts and care about helping their patients. These staff typically pay income taxes, CPP and EI premiums on the wages they earn while working at dispensaries. It is grossly unfair that these mostly young, hard-working people who have now lost their jobs will end up with criminal records - for taking jobs doing something that they believe in. The large majority of dispensaries serve high-quality medical cannabis products to patients in Toronto and across Canada. Many of these dispensaries' patients have had their constitutional right to medical cannabis restricted yesterday. All dispensaries of which we are aware sell only to patients in the age of majority.

Dispensaries provide a respectful, safe, non-stigmatizing environment for patients to access medical cannabis. Most dispensaries also collect HST on their sales of medical cannabis products, which is remitted to the CRA. These sums make a substantial contribution to federal and provincial coffers. However, these revenues will not be enough to cover the multi-million dollar expenses arising from yesterday's raids, which have put dozens of good people unnecessarily into the criminal justice system.

The Toronto Dispensaries Coalition would ask the City of Toronto, its Councilors, and all relevant bodies to look timely at bringing in reasonable, appropriate regulations for the medical cannabis industry operating in the city. Also, on behalf of any persons charged with offences today, we would ask the Toronto Police to consider dropping any and all charges laid as part of their raids.

About The Toronto Dispensaries Coalition (TDC): Toronto Dispensaries Coalition (TDC) provides a voice to medical cannabis patients, and the people and dispensaries that serve them across the Greater Toronto Area. The TDC advocates for dropping any charges made against dispensary staff, and promotes reasonable and appropriate regulation of the medical cannabis and dispensary industry in Toronto. The TDC is supported by numerous patients, dispensaries, as well as the Canada Friendly Business Association (CFBA), the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries (CAMCD), Women Grow Toronto (WGT), the Cannabis Association of Canada (CAC), and the Cannabis Growers of Canada (CGC).

For more information about the Toronto Dispensaries Coalition, please contact: Adolfo Gonzales, TorontoDispensariesCoalition@gmail.com

By Jon Hiltzon APRIL 29, 2016Edibles & Drinks, Education, Health & Medicine, Main Product Spotlight, MMJ Dispensaries, Strains​​To many they are the heroes, the safe and trusted connection to a sacred plant. They are also on the front lines in our battle for legality. They are randomly raided one day and open again the next week. They are the dispensaries, providing a wide variety of high quality cannabis and hemp products. After all these decades, they offer Canadians a far better choice better than the local weed dealer.The dispensaries across Canada and the US are not just there to sell bud and push you out the door. They are often experts, staffed by people hired for their exceptional knowledge of weed. They can often tell you important details about what you are buying and give instruction on anything from what a good hash will do for your experience, to what the best strains are to vape and for what purpose or how to take the correct amount of edibles so you won’t freak out in an hour.Marina, the Marketing and Operations Manager for The Toronto Dispensary, is one of those experts. This particular dispensary was started by a bunch of disgruntled MMJ patients that felt the east-coast dispensaries in Canada were not meeting their needs. “At the time, many of the dispensaries in Toronto were operating in an ‘underground’ market. The Toronto Dispensary completely changed that when we became the first to welcome walk-ins, offer patient discounts, as well as take our time to educate our patients,” said Maria.This education includes expert knowledge of what the effect will be for their specific products, like the difference between the marijuana flower and hash. “Hash (hashish) is a marijuana concentrate that is produced by collecting trichomes of the cannabis flower. A lot of the medical cannabis ranges between 17 and 27 percent THC. Hash – a concentrate – has a greater amount of THC per gram, generally between 30 – 40 percent THC. Generally speaking, smoking hash produces a more intense sensation than smoking flower,” Marina said. She added that if a patient is trying medical edibles or “medibles” for the first time, it’s important to let the dispensary know so they can inform you about how much to ingest at one time and how long it should be before it takes effect. Our bodies process pot, and specifically THC, very differently when eaten as opposed to vaping or smoking.When asked about her favourite strains throughout the years, Marina couldn’t decide. “I love them all. Black Tuna, Pink LIzzard, Cannatonic,” she said, and then added that the popularity of sativas have grown over the years. “With an emergence of a medical cannabis market, sativa and hybrids have gained popularity. A few years ago indicas dominated the market, but today our shelves are represented equally between the tree.”Whether The Toronto Dispensary orany of the othersare your location of choice, it’s always a good idea to ask the staff about the best stuff on the menu. Whether you want to be chill or you want to be out, they know how to cure what ails you.

By Jon Hiltzon APRIL 29, 2016Edibles & Drinks, Education, Health & Medicine, Main Product Spotlight, MMJ Dispensaries, StrainsTo many they are the heroes, the safe and trusted connection to a sacred plant. They are also on the front lines in our battle for legality. They are randomly raided one day and open again the next week. They are the dispensaries, providing a wide variety of high quality cannabis and hemp products. After all these decades, they offer Canadians a far better choice better than the local weed dealer.The dispensaries across Canada and the US are not just there to sell bud and push you out the door. They are often experts, staffed by people hired for their exceptional knowledge of weed. They can often tell you important details about what you are buying and give instruction on anything from what a good hash will do for your experience, to what the best strains are to vape and for what purpose or how to take the correct amount of edibles so you won’t freak out in an hour.Marina, the Marketing and Operations Manager for The Toronto Dispensary, is one of those experts. This particular dispensary was started by a bunch of disgruntled MMJ patients that felt the east-coast dispensaries in Canada were not meeting their needs. “At the time, many of the dispensaries in Toronto were operating in an ‘underground’ market. The Toronto Dispensary completely changed that when we became the first to welcome walk-ins, offer patient discounts, as well as take our time to educate our patients,” said Maria.This education includes expert knowledge of what the effect will be for their specific products, like the difference between the marijuana flower and hash. “Hash (hashish) is a marijuana concentrate that is produced by collecting trichomes of the cannabis flower. A lot of the medical cannabis ranges between 17 and 27 percent THC. Hash – a concentrate – has a greater amount of THC per gram, generally between 30 – 40 percent THC. Generally speaking, smoking hash produces a more intense sensation than smoking flower,” Marina said. She added that if a patient is trying medical edibles or “medibles” for the first time, it’s important to let the dispensary know so they can inform you about how much to ingest at one time and how long it should be before it takes effect. Our bodies process pot, and specifically THC, very differently when eaten as opposed to vaping or smoking.When asked about her favourite strains throughout the years, Marina couldn’t decide. “I love them all. Black Tuna, Pink LIzzard, Cannatonic,” she said, and then added that the popularity of sativas have grown over the years. “With an emergence of a medical cannabis market, sativa and hybrids have gained popularity. A few years ago indicas dominated the market, but today our shelves are represented equally between the tree.”Whether The Toronto Dispensary orany of the othersare your location of choice, it’s always a good idea to ask the staff about the best stuff on the menu. Whether you want to be chill or you want to be out, they know how to cure what ails you.Read more http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2016/04/our-indispensable-instructors/

When it comes to choosing the right cannabis dispensary, not all dispensaries are the same. With a growing number of marijuana dispensaries popping up in Toronto, social media reviews showed that many dispensaries are focusing on high end selection of products, knowledgeable staff and personal customer service.

What's so important about choosing the right Marijuana Dispensary?Dispensaries vary widely in staff product knowledge, selection and services they offer. And this really is important to your health, because you are depending on your bud-tender to get it right, every time. Cannabis, especially medical marijuana, have many types and benefits for your health but you have to know the differences in levels of THC, Cannabinoids all the way to what ailments you would like to heal. The right dispensary with the right knowledgeable staff can help.

What are the key factors to consider when choosing a cannabis dispensary?A dispensary that's closer to your home is not necessarily better than one farther away. There are several other important factors you should consider that might outweigh the distance you have to travel. You want convenience of being served by a knowledgeable staff. The strains you need that are shown on their site should be there when they're listed, and you shouldn't have to wait too long for service. You want to be secured and comfortable dealing with the bud-tender and other employees. It should be very rare for your dispensary to be out of a particular product. And it should keep track of the latest reports of what you have ordered before.

What should you expect from a good bud-tender?Beyond simple courtesy and accuracy in filling your orders, the main thing a good bud-tender provides is information. They should be willing and be able to answer any and all questions you may have about a strain, a product or an item within the dispensary shop — from names, uses, how they should be taken, and possible precautions, safety and side-effects you should be aware of.

Once you get to know a good bud-tender, he or she can offer personal advice based on the knowledge of you and your choices of cannabis treatments. A good bud-tender should also help you select the other ways of taking medicinal marijuana that won't interfere with your other medications and treatment plans.

Overall, the right medical marijuana dispensary has a lot to do with what your bud-tender comes to know about you and your conditions. It is part of his or her job to watch out for your health, cannabis concerns, your reviews over past orders and what new types of medicinal marijuana that you should try out. The Toronto Dispensary is a medical marijuana dispensary that gets the highest reviews for service, speed, stock and information by its patients. The reason for that is that the staff are highly knowledgeable, always take stock of its inventory and provides a personal one-to-one experience.

As the federal Liberals push forward with their plan to legalize pot, those in the industry are confident Toronto will continue to see more dispensaries opening up, joining the ranks of Vancouver as a weed capital of Canada and allowing quicker and easier access to pot for patients battling cancer and other illnesses.

For the full article and video, please click on the image or follow this link.

Dear Friends,If we think about it there is probably someone in our lives who has been touched by illness or disease. The last thing we would want for anyone is to suffer. If they had access to a way to feel better and enjoy life I think wecould all agree that it would be a fantastic gift, a gift no one deserves to have taken away.

On October 29th The Saskatchewan Compassion Club was raided and all medication, for the patients and the staff, was unjustly seized. Their homes were raided and their was medication taken, the very medication that these people rely on to maintain their health. The wonderful people that have helped so many with illnesses from cancer, Crohn's, chronic pain, MS and so much more were thrown in jail like criminals, facing possession and trafficking charges. All of these individuals have medical prescriptions from a doctor. The Club only assists in the advocacy and provision of medical cannabis and products to those who have a prescription. Dried marijuana is only one way that benefits people and finding other resources for delivery of pain relief and inflammation are key. Most patients have better success with products ranging from beneficial non-psycoactive oils, suppositories, and edibles. The patients the club assists rely on these medications for their daily health. The health effect of the lack of medicine are already starting to show in the patients affected.

Saskatoon saw the doors open to the Saskatchewan Compassion Club not so long ago and in that time it has touched the lives of so many. Mark has provided hope for so many and he was truly doing a service to this community. He has reached out to the city who has voiced support only to have its officials turn around and target this club. These are not criminals, they are not drug dealers, they are simply providing access to medicine that can increase the quality of life of the citizens of Saskatoon. Mark has arranged meetings the chief of police and with the city. He has reached out and in this timeframe operated a quiet and respectful business that had open doors to everybody who had any questions.

Lane Britnell is a former U of S pole vaulter. He was a 2 time CIS Canadian National Champion and represented Canada as a national team athlete. He developed Crohn's disease which started to affected his quality of life. He tried pharmaceutical treatments and medications and as his condition worsened as he began to suffer with pain and depression. He had no choice but to quit his goals as an athlete and began focusing on simply getting through the day. Lane was never an advocate of using recreational drugs but resorted to using medicinal marijuana and saw positive results very quickly and he soon got his life back. You can see in the pictures above what just 6 months has done for him. Lane was able to control the symptoms and inflammation without the side effects of the pharmaceuticals. The form of cannabis that works best for him are extracts and oils that are currently not legal even to a valid prescription medicinal marijuana license holder. When you get your life back in a safe and effective manner, that is a gift. When someone takes that gift away, it's truly wrong.

Lane was one of 4 arrested facing charges after the compassion club was raided and closed. All the medication was taken and has already affected so many patients. What this means for Lane is that he can no longer access his medication.To get it he has to go through his LP purchasing medication that can be turned into the form that helps his body to heal. For Lane this will cost $156/day. 30 grams of medication in dried form was returned to lane after he was released from jail. He has everything labelled for his personal use in separate containers and the 30 grams was all in mixed form. When we take medication we aren't expected to take a bottle of mixed pills and "hope for the best". He relies on the essential oil for his illness and he has already started to see his Chron's come out of remission. He can produce this by ordering from an LP but ordering what he needs is going to come at a cost of 156 dollars a day which is over $4000 a month which makes it inaccessible.The day the compassion club was raided and shut down not only was medication for patients taken but everyone's own personal medication was taken that was prescribed by their doctors and are facing charges for this possession. Mark and Lane had their homes raided by police and had their other medication seized as well. In the last few days symptoms have already begun to return for Lane and in another week he will worsen becoming quite weak. He will not have the strength to fight for others let alone against his disease.

It's outrageous when the medication they rely on was previously accessible and affordable. Medical cannabis and its extracts are natural and safe and they are getting stripped away from people who rely on it. What kind of health care or system is allowing people to suffer?

We would like very much if you would consider spreading awareness over the situation going on in Saskatoon at this time. More info and stories can be found on The Saskatchewan Compassion Club Facebook page as well. We are looking to help get the club up and running but in the meantime some of the members with conditions like Lane's and our most critical patients are getting sicker without access to their medication, primarily the cannabis oil. If you would consider a donation of medication to those who are currently suffering and regressing without access it would be greatly appreciated. Support and awareness during this time is key.

Members of The Saskatchewan Compassion Clubhttp://www.saskcompassion.ca

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